Washington: A senior US military commander
says that Iran is making diplomatic and commercial inroads in
Latin America but that there is no evidence Tehran is
establishing a military presence in the region.
The remarks by Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of
US Southern Command, come after the Pentagon warned in a
12-page report on Iran that there was an "increased presence"
in Latin America by Tehran`s elite military Qods Force.
Fraser told reporters on Tuesday that the US has seen a
"growing Iranian interest in Venezuela," another oil-rich
state critical of the US, but that its presence is primarily
through an increase in Iranian embassies and commercial
contracts.